Rivian interview questions

I applied online for a manager position, in addition to being referred by several employees. During the initial screening the recruiter asked me why I picked that particular position and not the engineering position in that same team. I answered that I'm meeting or exceeding all the requirements in the job description for the manager, so I decided to apply for that position. He proceeded to tell me that this job might not be available anymore, because there might be an internal candidate being promoted into the role shortly, my role would be more of a lead position, but the hiring manager would know more. I proceeded to the hiring manager interview and asked about the situation when given the opportunity to ask questions. The hiring manager explained that I would start as an individual contributor, because he doesn't put external hires into manager positions. He'd rather see who from the team is the best candidate for the position and then promote that person into the manager role. I understand the reasoning, but then why would you post the manager position at all? This appears to be a bait and switch tactic, and apparently I'm not the only one who has had that experience (see review from late March this year).

I applied for the Principal Front-End Software Engineer advertised here on Glassdoor. Someone from Rivian HR gave me a call to discuss the role and timeline. She then sent me an invite to have a phone screening with their senior software engineer for Staff Front-End Software Engineer position. This was an honest mistake, I thought at the time. So I responded that they might have made a mistake in the invite. See, the role I applied for is the Principal Front-End Software Engineer position: the invite is for the Staff Front-End Software Engineer position. I asked them to update the invite and to let the interviewer know what the role actually is just in case she might require to re-adjust her interview process to fit the new role. Well, the HR responded that the hiring manager is not looking for a Principal Front-End Software Engineer, but is looking for Staff Front-End Software Engineers. He will do "leveling" after the interview process. So then I realized that it hadn't been a mistake at all. It was rather an elaborate scheme. I am sure that they simply moved on to the next candidate in search of desperation albeit unapologetically. Why didn't they advertise for Staff Engineers only which is what they wanted in the first place? Why advertise for one role but deceitfully present candidates with an interview process for a different role? They wanted to obtain the services of principal engineer at the price of a staff engineer. It is bait 'n' switch. A lot of the people running these corporations are felons without criminal records to match. They are even worse because they do not need to be fraudulent to the people over whom they hold immense power and influence, yet they devise ways to be just so such that they remain above the law.